BERGEN COUNTY, NJ – In a coordinated operation involving the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and local police departments, three men from Elizabeth, NJ have been recently arrested on charges related to a series of high-profile burglaries. The accused, Steven Rugeles, Santiago Camargo-Rojas, and Nicholas Buitrago-Grillo, are now in custody.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Special Investigation Squad spanning from March to July of this year. The targeted homes were often situated on dead-end streets in affluent areas. The burglars, sometimes posing as delivery workers, would strike in the early evening, often when the residences were not well lit and appeared unoccupied.
On Tuesday, the investigation led detectives to execute search warrants at residences in Elizabeth. They found burglary tools, a considerable quantity of jewelry, luxury watches, and cash, along with fraudulent government documents such as driver’s licenses and passports. All items are believed to be the proceeds of the burglaries committed throughout Bergen County and beyond.
All three suspects face charges related to receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit burglary, and possession of false government documents.
Rugeles, Camargo-Rojas, and Buitrago-Grillo are held at the Bergen County Jail pending their Central Judicial Processing Court hearing in Hackensack, NJ. Anyone with information pertaining to these crimes is urged to contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.